Two huts are nearly finished on Grand River Avenue on the border of the Woodbridge and Core City neighborhoods, the area has well-kept homes and buildings, empty lots and the quality of many Detroit streets.

A small, colorful village using Quonset huts as its main structures, with half-moon shaped structures. The huts will be living quarters with the goal to create something affordable. The huts vary in size and the walls and roof are made of corrugated steel.

Recently Detroit was recently the first United States of America city to receive the designation of “City of Designs” from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The empty spaces in Detroit neighborhoods can be transformed using creativity and trained architecture to create community gardens many other community focused structures.

They have such things as utilities, bathrooms, kitchens and security measures and are something that will be integrated into the neighborhood.

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The goal is to have the Quonset huts ready for rent by winter.

Detroit is a great place for the project because the attitude and perception of Quonset huts in larger places like New York or Los Angeles would be much different, due to the density and nature of the cities.

The community wants to inspire healthy living and inspire inhabitants to design their spaces.

“It’s exciting to be working in Detroit at this particular time,” Chan said. “… It provides an opportunity that’s like an open canvass to do something transformative. For me, it’s very much about public space-making and how to engage communities in arts and culture.”